Melinae's
by morninggloriious
Summary: AU one-shot. Annabeth has had a long day, and she only wants something to eat. Piper agrees. Percy just wants them to be happy. There is swearing, but nothing else.


Annabeth was starving.

She had worked on her blueprints almost all day, because Kevin had dumped everything on her last minute and, _surprise_ , they were due basically yesterday, so _get to work, Annabeth! You've got a lot to do!_

By some miracle and lots of coffee, she finished the calculations needed for the building project, applied them to the final copies, made the final adjustments, and delivered them to Kevin at his pretentious up-scale apartment in Brooklyn because the bastard couldn't be bothered to get them himself, and she didn't have the money to hire a courier. All on top of her normal, not insubstantial workload.

And, of course, of fucking course, Annabeth had gotten on the wrong train on the way back home.

She wasn't even getting paid for this. Interns don't get paid. Interns get shit jobs and no credit, but it looks good on the resume.

(Annabeth was so _sick_ , so _fucking_ sick, of hearing _it looks good on the resume_.)

She had labored through her lunch hour and had burned through her breakfast of yogurt and a bagel long ago, and for the past two hours could hear her stomach complaining. Loudly.

Annabeth trudged up the steps to her apartment complex, and dutifully waited for the ancient elevator to chug down to the small, badly lit lobby before stepping in and slapping the button for her floor.

Usually she just jogged up the stairs, but her feet hurt from wandering through Brooklyn and jostling for space in the subway in heels. Tomorrow, flats. Definitely.

Annabeth finally got off the elevator, and stumbled down the dingy hallway to the apartment she shared with Piper, a poli sci major at NYU. She snatched up her keys from her bag, leaned against the door to fiddle with the contrary locks, and almost fell into the apartment when the door swung open from the inside.

Piper snickered as Annabeth teetered, trying to catch her balance and avoid dropping her keys. "Having trouble there?"

Unamused, Annabeth glared at her and pushed past her into their tiny kitchen. "You would not believe the day I've had."

She heard Piper lock the door and shuffle after her. Her smirk had melted into sympathetic grimace. "Really? What happened?"

Annabeth kicked off her heels and sighed in relief. "Ugh. Just a lot to do. Got on the wrong train. Hungry." She grimaced and bent to massage her toes, wrinkling her nose smell of sweat. "And these damned shoes. I've never worn this pair for so long, didn't realize how pinchy they were."

"Would it help if I told you I just ordered a pizza with extra olives?"

Annabeth's focus snapped up from her feet to Piper. "Really? I thought you hated olives."

"Yeah, but they're alright on that vegetarian pizza, so I thought. You don't mind veggies, do you?"

Annabeth shook her head. "Right now, I'd eat anything."

Piper smiled, relieved. "Good, I was worried. I did get a load of cheesy bread too, so."

"You are a true friend," Annabeth said. She had been suspicious of Piper at first, not trusting the college student and her eccentric sidekick Leo, who did spend a lot of time on their couch. But Piper was considerate, hilarious, and fun to hang around with, and Annabeth had warmed up to Leo. "I'm going to go take a shower, that OK?"

"Oh, yeah, sure. I _just_ put the order in, so it might be a little while." Piper waved her hand and sauntered down their tiny hallway into the living room.

Annabeth split off into her own bedroom, snatched up her favorite grey towel off its hook, and hightailed it into the bathroom.

.

Annabeth yanked a comb through her damp locks as she moved back from her bedroom into the kitchen, wishing, not for the first time, that she had been blessed with straight, easy to manage hair.

(Yes, it looked pretty, but the _tangles_.)

Her stomach rumbled again; at the promise of Annabeth's favorite pizza, her hunger had subsided, but it was coming back with a vengeance. With a sigh, she slapped the comb down on the counter and eyed the refrigerator. It had only been about fifteen minutes since she'd gotten home, maybe a little snack wouldn't hurt.

But just as she was reaching for the handle, someone knocked loudly on the door to the apartment. Annabeth brightened, snatched up her purse from the counter, and darted toward the front door and peered out the peephole. Sure enough, in the dim hallway light she could make out the uniform hat of Piper's favorite pizza place.

"Just a sec!" Annabeth called, and clicked through the locks on the door and pulled it open to reveal a surprisingly handsome pizza guy. For a moment, she was acutely aware of her oversized I Heart NY t-shirt, owl patterned shorts, and wet hair, but then shoved past the feeling. Pizza was more important.

"Uh, hey," said Pizza Guy. "Pizza?"

Annabeth resisted the urge to quip _you're an eloquent one, aren't you_ , and nodded emphatically. "Yup. How much do I owe you?"

"Fifteen fifty."

She doled out the cash, adding a four dollar tip with a mutter of "keep the change." Pizza Guy passed her two boxes from his heated case, wished her a nice night, and started off down the hallway. Annabeth balanced the boxes on one knee and checked the toppings.

Sausage. Pepperonis. No olives in sight.

"Hey," she called back down the hallway. "I think you gave us the wrong box."

Pizza Guy, who had just been about to enter the stairwell at the other end of the hall, stopped. Annabeth could see his shoulders tense.

"Hey," she called again. This time, she heard a resigned sigh, and Pizza Guy turned back shuffled back toward her. "Sorry, what's up?"

"I think you gave us the wrong box," Annabeth said, hoisting up the pizzas to eye level. "We order a veggie with extra olives, not sausage and pepperoni."

He winced. "Sorry, this is my only stop. No other pizzas to give out."

Annabeth's grip tightened on the cardboard. "But this is _sausage_."

"I'm sorry. Here-" he fumbled for his money pouch "-I'll give you back your money."

"My roommate is a _vegetarian_. We were looking forward to this." Annabeth wanted to cry. It was stupid, it was _so_ stupid, but she was Tired and Starving, capital letters, and Piper couldn't eat meat for crying out loud and olive pizza was her very favorite.

Pizza Guy looked stricken. "I'm sorry. The guy who takes the orders has real shitty handwriting, like you wouldn't believe, and I have dyslexia, so I must have mixed up the boxes, and this isn't helpful at all, is it."

Annabeth shook her head. "No. It isn't." She could feel herself moving past his pizza despair and into Hangry.

"Is the other box good?"

Annabeth shuffled with the boxes and checked. "Yeah. Cheesy bread."

"How about," said Pizza Guy, digging into his pockets and pulling out her cash and a battered cell phone, "You guys have your cheesy bread, and I'll go back and get your pizza on the house."

Annabeth snatched back the money, glared at him enough to make sure he wilted under the pressure, and called back into the apartment, "Hey, Pipes, come here for a sec."

A second later, Annabeth felt Piper at her shoulder. "What's up?"

"This _asshat_ ," Annabeth spat out, and out of the corner of her eye, she saw Pizza Guy wince. "got our order wrong. It has meat on it."

"No olives?"

"No olives."

"Shit."

"I could go back and get it," Pizza Guy said pleadingly. "It would just take a little while. And you have the cheesy bread."

Annabeth opened her mouth to respond, but Piper cut her off before she could get going. "Uh, we're good, thanks." She turned back to Annabeth. "I can make us some pasta?"

"We're out," Annabeth said crossly.

"Oh, uh-"

"Wait," Pizza Guy said. "I feel really bad. Let me take you guys out some place."

Annabeth blinked at him. "Seriously?"

"Seriously."

"What if you're a serial killer?"

"I have a feeling you guys could take me."

Piper gestured down to her heart patterned pajama pants and _King of Sparta_ t-shirt. "We're not exactly dressed."

"It's New York, no one cares," Pizza Guy argued back. "I know this Greek place nearby. I'll pay. I feel bad, let me make it up to you. _Please_?"

Annabeth and Piper exchanged glances. Annabeth raised one eyebrow, and slowly, Piper nodded in response.

Annabeth turned back to Pizza Guy. "Give us a sec to put on shoes and stuff."

"Sure."

.

"Uh, I'll have a beef and lamb gyro with a side of humus please?"

The greaseball across the counter nodded. "Yup. You want a drink with that?"

"Sure." The cashier snatched up a styrofoam cup and slapped it down on the counter. Annabeth nabbed it and scuttled out of the way as Piper stepped forward to order.

Annabeth wandered over to the soda fountain and filled her cup before choosing a table toward the back of the restaurant. A small sign on the door proclaimed it as Melinae's. Decorated with pictures of Greek monuments and cities, it was surprisingly spacious and clean, if a bit rundown. A counter divided the restaurant so the customers could watch their food being prepared, and Annabeth's stomach gave a painful twinge as she stared at the containers full of food, not to mention the giant spinning cone of meat. She was a little surprised that she'd never been there before, considering her love of everything Greek, but Pizza Guy - Percy, as he'd introduced himself - had ducked into an alley and had gone down a flight of stairs to reach it, so.

Piper, who had changed into jeans but kept her t shirt, followed suit and sat down across from her, glancing around as she did. "This place seems nice."

"Yeah. What'd you get?"

"The vegetarian moussaka and a small Greek salad."

Percy plopped down beside Annabeth, clutching a bottle of Cherry Coke. He had taken off his hat and had somehow ditched the insulated pizza box. "It'll be a few minutes, hope that's okay."

"Yeah, it's fine," Annabeth murmured, looking away him.

They sat in awkward silence for a few minutes before Piper finally spoke up. "So, uh, what do you do, besides delivering pizzas?"

 _And mixing up people's orders_ , Annabeth wanted to say.

"I'm a student at NYU. Pizza just helps pay the bills."

"Really? Me too. I'm a political science major. You?"

"Marine biology."

"Ah, that explains why I haven't seen you around."

"Yeah, I hang out with all the environmental nerds." Percy chuckled. He glanced at Annabeth's stony face and ran a hand through his black hair before asking, "What about you, Annabeth?"

"I'm interning at an architectural firm."

"Oh, that's interesting."

Annabeth didn't reply, and the conversation died. Percy's foot tapped against the linoleum floor. Piper fiddled with her braids and watched the cook behind the counter prepare the food. Annabeth stared at the blow up of the Parthenon on the opposite wall.

Percy turned toward Piper, his expression desperate. "So, uh, _King of Sparta_?"

Piper eyed him suspiciously. "Yeah."

Percy looked taken aback at Piper's sudden coldness. Annabeth felt a moment of pity for him. Tristan McLean's movies was one of the few topics Piper was unwilling to talk about.

He plowed on. "Those mythology movies aren't usually well done, but _King of Sparta_ was actually accurate. Got the Greek mythology right and everything."

Annabeth perked up. "Oh, you like mythology?"

Percy looked at her in surprise. "Yeah, I had a great Latin teacher a few years ago, and he was all about the mythology. He even brought in old swords and would challenge us to decline stuff. So I guess it just rubbed off on me."

Annabeth felt herself warming up to him. "My dad's a history professor, so I'm pretty good at that stuff. And I like Greek architecture." She gestured to the post of the Parthenon. "I went there when I was thirteen, and I really want to go back."

"Oh, so that's how you got into architecture?"

"Yeah, I love it. I've always wanted-"

"Jackson!" barked the cashier. "Order for Jackson!"

Percy got up, his knees cracking, to retrieve the food, and Annabeth lapsed back into silence. He returned with the tray and passed Piper her moussaka and Annabeth her gyro and hummus. He himself had bought two gyros and an order of fries, and after placing the tray on a nearby table, began to inhale his meal.

Annabeth devoured her gyro - besides the fact that she was starving, it was one of the best she'd ever had, and Annabeth had had _a lot_ of Greek food over the years.

Across the table, Piper was wolfing down her salad with similar gusto. And Percy was already almost finished with his first gyro.

She felt a little embarrassed to have opened up so quickly to a stranger, and now that food was not her primary concern, Annabeth regretted treating him so rudely. Percy seemed like a sweet guy, and, even though she'd only exchanged a few civil sentences, he seemed easy to talk to.

And he was cute. Well, more than cute, but she'd never admit it outloud.

Percy pushed his basket of fries over to her and raised his eyebrows, an unspoken _want some_? She nodded her thanks and snatched up a few fries, dipping them in her hummus. Piper did the same; she had finished her salad and moved on to the moussaka.

When Annabeth had gorged herself to her heart's content, she sat back in her chair and sighed happily. "Thanks, Percy. This was really good."

Percy gulped down his Coke and said, "No problem. I'm just glad I could make it up to you guys."

"Yeah," Piper chimed in. "This was really nice you. Not a lot of guys would have bought us food themselves."

Percy blushed a little. "It really is my pleasure. Don't worry about it."

Around them, the Melinae's staff was cleaning up; wiping down tables and putting the chairs up.

"Hey, Jackson," called the cashier as he waddled out from behind the counter. "We're closin' up here. Sorry to cut off your date, but move your ass."

"Thanks, Emmanuel," Percy called back. "We're almost done, have a good night." He glanced around at Annabeth and Piper. "You guys finished?"

"Yeah, we're good," Piper said. She tossed down her napkin, and as they stood, a busboy hurried over to clear their table. Annabeth rifled through her purse and handed him a few bills. "Thanks."

"It okay if I walk you guys home?" Percy asked, holding the door open for them as they exited.

"Nah, we're good," Piper replied as she and Annabeth hurried up the stairs and out into the cool night air. "We live only a block from here, and Annabeth can kill a man with her bare hands."

They all stopped at the mouth of the alley leading into the main street, studying each other uncertainly.

Finally, Annabeth spoke up. "We should do this again sometime."  
Piper looked around at her in surprise as Percy shot Annabeth a dazzling smile. "Yeah, that'd be great. Uh, should I give you my number?"

"Sure, I think I have a pen in here somewhere." Annabeth rifled through her purse. She could have just passed him her phone, but she still didn't quite trust him. She passed him a Sharpie and receipt and Percy bore down on the wall beside them as he scribbled down his number. He handed it back to her, and she shoved it into her pocket.

"So, uh, see you around."

"Yeah, see ya."

"Bye."

Annabeth and Piper turned away from him and went back the way they came, walking in companionable silence until they reached the old elevator in their building. As they watched the display slowly tick up to their floor, Piper spoke: "I think next time I'll let you go alone."

Annabeth looked over at her in surprise to find Piper smirking at her. "What?"

"Well, he's cute, and he likes you."

"We've only known him for two hours."

"And you _like_ him," Piper sang.

"Whatever."

.

Two years later, Annabeth and Percy stumbled through the door into Melinae's, followed by a clump of chattering friends. Percy withdrew his arm from around Annabeth's shoulders and kissed her cheek. "Order for me?"

"Sure."

Percy nodded, and he and Jason began pulling tables together. Frank followed, moving chairs into place.

After she ordered, she sat down beside Percy and leaned into him as she chatted with she-of-the-perfect-posture, Reyna, Leo on her other side. Grover and Juniper debated veganism versus vegetarianism with Piper as Will explained a new medical procedure he was learning to Nico and Hazel. Silena and Thalia argued over how much eyeliner was _too_ much eyeliner. At Silena's side, Beckendorf discussed engines with Leo. Frank shyly asked Rachel whether or not he could commision a painting from her.

Annabeth sighed happily, and Percy reached over to hold her hand. "You okay?"

"Yeah." Annabeth leaned forward to kiss him. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Reyna make a face and turn back toward Leo.

"I'm pretty good."


End file.
